Cat’s paw is red and smells bad

[MojoTuxedo]

I noticed my cat smells bad about a week ago. Today I was trimming his nails when I noticed his back right paw is the source of the smell. The area between the paw pad and the claws is red/possibly wounded and there’s little black specks all over it. I tried gently wiping it with a tissue and water but he hissed at me so I think it hurt him.
Currently, he has a cold that wouldn’t get better for a month with very swollen lymph nodes. Recently I noticed a hard lump on his leg the size of a marble so my mom is going to call the vet when she is not busy. He just went a few weeks ago with only a cold. I think we should take him as soon as possible because of all these problems but my mom doesn’t want to take him again.
I’m concerned about him because he didn’t have any of these when we got him a month ago and he was treated for an URI already but it apparently wasn’t completely gone even though they said he was healthy when we adopted him.
Does anyone know what could be wrong with him?
He is eating, drinking, playing and using the litterbox normally.
I’m really worried because last year we had a cat who got sick and then he passed away a few weeks later. We were also told he was completely healthy at the time.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. The bad smell is likely due to an infection, and the fact that he doesn't want it touched is a good indication that it hurts - a lot. I don't know what the black specks are about, but if he goes outside that could be dirt. This is not a situation where you wait until you are 'not busy' to get him to the vet. It sounds like he has multiple issues that need to be looked at - swollen lymph nodes (was/is he being treated for the cold?), and a marble sized lump on his leg, not to mention this new issue with the paw. I am glad that he is acting normal otherwise! I am sure that is why your mom thinks it can wait, but infections are nothing to play around with.

 

[MojoTuxedo]

He is an indoor cat and I don’t think there is much dirt in the house.
He was treated at the adoption center for his cold. But he still has it. The vet hasn’t given us any treatment and only told us to give him some l-lysine supplement.
I’m not sure of anywhere he could have been wounded. It could have been our other cat but he doesn’t really bite.

 

[MojoTuxedo]

I told my mom it is an infection and after lots on convincing, she will schedule an appointment with the vet. She didn’t tell me she got insurance for the cats lol

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Regardless of how it happened, your cat's foot is infected, and without medical attention, it will almost certainly get worse. The longer your mom waits, the more expensive it will be to cure! Soonest is best in this case.

OH GOOD! Never mind then! We're under control, and I"m VERY happy about this!

 

[jefferd18]

I told my mom it is an infection and after lots on convincing, she will schedule an appointment with the vet. She didn’t tell me she got insurance for the cats lol

I am so happy that your mother has scheduled an appointment. If he has a cold, the vet does definitely need to treat it with antibiotics and I can't imagine why any vet would shrug this off, especially since it has been dragging on for so long. .

 

[Kieka]

It sounds like a vet is a wise call and the sooner the better.

As to what is wrong, it sounds like an infection and it will clear up a lot quicker with vet care. If you got your cat at a shelter, it's not uncommon for them to adopt out with unnoticed injuries or illness.

 

[MojoTuxedo]

He got an antibiotic injection. The vet said his infection should get better in a few days and the lump could be a swollen lymph node since it’s on the same leg as the infected paw.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Keep us posted on his progress - hoping to hear good news!!

 

[IndyJones]

In addition to the antibiotic you could try soaking his paw in epsim salt mixed with warm water. This will draw out the infection and keep litter from getting in there and making it worse.

 

[ArchyCat]

Or even use a warm compress on the foot for five minutes or so, several times a day. That will stimulate his blood circulation to theist of infection.

Please keep us updated! And thanks for the rescue!

 

[amandag1]

In the mean time see if you can get some
Vetericyn gel and clean his paws with a cotton pad
My cat had the same issue, smelly swollen paw with dried crust- the vet told me to clean it with iodine/water solution mix half and half apply with cotton ball & also put him on antibiotics
He had to do two rounds and it went away

 

[Jcatbird]

You are such a great kitty parent! Bravo for noticing his hurt paw! Getting him to the vet quickly was a very good thing and I’m glad your Mom helped him too. I hope he is feeling much better very soon.

 

[MojoTuxedo]

The vet soaked his paw in an iodine solution already. Thanks for the tips, everyone

 

[amandag1]

you can also continue to do it at home for him, iodine from Walmart or any drug store and mix with some water. Apply with a cotton ball.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Just remember, warm not hot water. Cats feel heat more than we do.

 

[MojoTuxedo]

After 2 weeks of antibiotics his paw is a little better but still scabby. The lymph node in his leg is the same size so the vet used a needle to extract some of the cells and sent it to a lab. They also did bloodwork. We have not gotten the results yet.
My sister changed his name to Jojo for some reason. He is still very playful and eats normally.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Thanks for the update! Glad he is doing at least a bit better. Please let us know what the test results show!

 

[jen]

Also would love to know bloodwork results. Hope he will be ok!

 

[MojoTuxedo]

His white blood cells were high but not so high that it was concerning. My mom didn’t write down the rest that the vet said during the phone call so we are waiting for an email from the vet.
The lymph node cells are reactive so it’s probably a lymph node and not cancer (cancer would be unlikely at his age anyway.)
His paw pads are swollen. He will go to the vet again next week.
The vet bills so far were $700 but my mom got insurance so they covered about $500.
Here’s a picture of his paw and a picture of him with Jack (our other cat.)